California became the first state to outlaw masks for federal immigration agents, pushing back against the Trump Administration’s summer crackdown in Los Angeles.
According to TIME.com, Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, signed S.B. 627, known as the “No Secret Police Act”, on Saturday. The law bans most face coverings for federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as well as local law enforcement officers, and it will take effect on January 1, 2026.
Newsom also approved four additional measures curbing ICE authority. The laws compel law enforcement to show agency and badge identification, bar agents from entering schools and hospitals without a warrant, and require schools to notify parents when ICE is present on campus.
“The impact of these policies across this city, our state, and nation is terrifying. It’s like a dystopian sci-fi movie, unmarked cars, masked agents, people disappearing, no due process,” Newsom said during the signing in L.A. “Immigrants have rights in a democracy.”
Calling ICE’s tactics “a disgrace,” he added, “Unmask. What are you afraid of?”
A Direct Response to Trump
Newsom described the bills as a “direct response” to President Donald Trump’s “lawless immigration raids and arrests in California.”
The mandate coincides with Trump’s ramped-up efforts to recruit ICE agents to fulfill his campaign pledge of mass deportations. The administration also tightened legal immigration, imposed an annual $100,000 fee on companies sponsoring H-1B visas, restricted international student visas, and introduced stricter criteria for citizenship to screen for “anti-American” views.
On X, Newsom posted: “Kristi Noem is going to have a bad day today. You’re welcome, America.” Acting U.S. attorney Bill Essayli referred him to the Secret Service over the post, warning: “We have zero tolerance for threats against government officials.”
Legal experts expect the law to face challenges since state power over federal enforcement remains unclear.
Democratic Pushback Against ICE Tactics
Amid Trump’s deportation campaign, videos and reports spread of ICE agents masking their identities.
Earlier this year, agents detained Turkish Tufts University student Rümeysa Öztürk in Somerville, Mass. Video showed them in plainclothes, sunglasses, and masks while refusing to provide explanations. Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian graduate student at Columbia University, described his arrest as “kidnapping” when masked officers followed him and his wife into their apartment without showing a warrant. Courts later released both students, though Khalil now faces deportation to Algeria or Syria.
Journalist Sabrina Tavernise noted it was the first time in U.S. history that law enforcement agents masked themselves to obscure their identities. Retired FBI agent Michael German added that even in undercover work, secrecy ended once charges were filed.
“Masking provides leeway for abuse,” Tavernise wrote. “A mask allows more latitude for shortcuts, a punch or a kick, for example.”
Democrats and activists have condemned Trump for giving ICE free rein at schools, churches, and hospitals. In April, agents were denied entry to two Los Angeles schools where they sought allegedly undocumented students. The attempted raid and other sweeps sparked protests, prompting Trump to deploy the National Guard.
“We cannot have masked men picking up our communities without identifying themselves,” state senator Lena Gonzalez said. She described the deployment as “the green lighting of racial profiling” and “kidnapping of students, children, and women.”
Other States Consider Similar Measures
States including New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Virginia introduced bills mirroring California’s. Democrats in the House proposed H.R. 4176, also titled the “No Secret Police Act.”
California state senator Scott Wiener, who introduced S.B. 627, said: “We are meeting the Trump Administration’s secret police tactics with strength and defiance. No one wants masked officers roaming their communities and kidnapping people with impunity.”
Opposition and Legal Challenges
Opponents argue California cannot regulate federal officers. “If Newsom wants to regulate our agents, he must go through Congress,” Essayli posted on X. He directed ICE agents to “continue protecting their identities,” dismissing the law as ineffective.
DHS officials urged Newsom to veto the bill, warning it would cause a “1000% increase in assaults against agents.” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin blasted comparisons to “Gestapo-like secret police” as “despicable.”
Law enforcement groups, including the Peace Officers Research Association of California, also opposed the measure. PORAC president Brian R. Marvel said it wrongly banned protective gear like face shields and gas masks.
Under the new law, officers cannot wear ski masks, balaclavas, or gaiters, but can use medical masks, face shields, helmets, and respirators. SWAT teams and undercover agents remain exempt. Violations carry misdemeanor penalties.
Expert Views
Scholars question whether the state can enforce the law against federal agents. Aya Gruber, a USC law professor, predicted the Supreme Court will side with federal authority. She called the legislation “more symbolic than practical.”
Still, some experts argue symbolism matters. UC Berkeley law dean Erwin Chemerinsky wrote that ICE masks intimidate communities. “Drug cartels use masked assailants to kidnap. ICE masking evokes the same terror,” he said.
During the signing, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the measures a form of “legislative resistance.” Cristine Soto DeBerry of Prosecutors Alliance Action added that masked officers pose risks to both the public and themselves.
“If nothing else,” Chemerinsky concluded, “the law declares that ICE agents operating in masks and without identification is wrong and must stop.”
